OVER MY SHOULDER By Bernard Martin Mr. Bernard Martin, who
describes himself as " an ordinary business man," went on a world cruise.' It was an ordinary cruise, such as anyone with sufficient leisure and money might take, affording tiny glimpses of Ceylon, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, the East Indies, Siam, Burma, China, Japan and Canada. On his return Mr. Martin broadcast a series of talks, based on his experiences ; he has now enlarged them into a pleasant blok, Over My Skoulder(Duckworth, 10s. 6d.), which should be equally popular with those readers who cannot afford their own ticket and those who prefer to see the world vicariously—provided, however, that they subscribe to Mr. Martin's claim (in the words of Robert Louis Stevenson) that " we who have only looked at a country over our shoulder, so to speak, as we went by, will have a conception of it far more memorable and articulate than a' man who has lived there all his life." For though it is undoubtedly true that the superfiCial observer is generally the most articulate—and Mr. Martin-is no exception—what lie has to say has little value except as a sort. of compensatory, entertainment. Also, it is doubtful if' Stevenson meant his remark to apply to passengers on a luxury cruising liner, with its rose-coloured port-holes. However, the author tries to do no more than give us a cine- matic picture of wliat he saw, and the result, if not memorable, is readable and entertaining. The photographs are rather dull.
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